System, method and apparatus for leadless surface mounted semiconductor package

ABSTRACT

A packaged semiconductor device may include a termination surface having terminations configured as leadless interconnects to be surface mounted to a printed circuit board. A first flange has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface provides a first one of the terminations, and the second surface is opposite to the first surface. A second flange also has a first surface and a second surface, with the first surface providing a second one of the terminations, and the second surface is opposite to the first surface. A die is mounted to the second surface of the first flange with a material having a melting point in excess of 240° C. An electrical interconnect extends between the die and the second surface of the second flange opposite the termination surface, such that the electrical interconnect, first flange and second flange are substantially housed within a body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/484,664, entitled “SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LEADLESSSURFACE MOUNTED SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE” filed on May 31, 2012, theentirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present invention relates in general to electronic devices, and, inparticular, to leadless surface mount semiconductor packages.

2. Description of the Related Art

Semiconductor die are encapsulated in a semiconductor package forprotection from damage by external stresses and to provide a system forcarrying electrical signals to and from the chips. Many different typesof semiconductor packages exist, including dual-in-line packages, pingrid array packages, tape-automated bonding (TAB) packages, multi-chipmodules (MCMs), and power packages. One type of power package is a highpower package used for a high power semiconductor device that is capableof dissipating greater than ten watts of power.

A need exists for a package for a high power semiconductor device thathas improved thermal conductivity for improved reliability, that is lessexpensive than ceramic-based packages, and that can be used to packagemultiple semiconductor die in a single package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the features and advantages of theembodiments are attained and can be understood in more detail, a moreparticular description may be had by reference to the embodimentsthereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. However, thedrawings illustrate only some embodiments and therefore are not to beconsidered limiting in scope as there may be other equally effectiveembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a packagedsemiconductor device (SD);

FIG. 2 is schematic side view of an embodiment of a partially packagedSD;

FIGS. 3A-3G depict an embodiment of a sequence of processes forfabricating a packaged SD;

FIGS. 4A-4F depict another embodiment of a sequence of processes forfabricating a packaged SD;

FIGS. 5A-5C and 6A-6C depict alternate embodiments of processes forcompleting fabrication of a packaged SD; and

FIGS. 7-10 are schematic side views of other embodiments of packagedSDs.

The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Typically, power packages use relatively high resistivity die attachmaterials that have a high lead content, a large thickness, and a lowthermal conductivity of approximately twenty to thirty watts per meterKelvin (w/m-K). Each of these characteristics contribute to heattransfer problems during device operation. These power packages alsotypically have an air cavity enclosed by ceramic components, which areexpensive. Furthermore, these power packages are typically limited to asingle semiconductor die per package, which requires: (1) matchingcomponents to be located on the same chip as the high powersemiconductor device and results in lossy devices with poor electricalperformance; or (2) matching components to be located on one or moredifferent chips in different packages and requires a larger footprint ora larger amount of space in the final product for multiple packages.

Specific embodiments described herein entail a leadless packaged devicethat includes one or more components, such as a semiconductor die,mounted in a package that is suitable for high power applicationswithout the use of a lead frame. The leadless packaged device includes arelatively thick heat sink flange, but some embodiments have no separatelead frame structure, which is typically included to connect the inputand output of a device to a circuit board. The components to be packagedcan be attached to the heat sink flange using a high temperature dieattach process. The flange/component combination can then be housed,such as in an encapsulant (e.g., a plastic material) so that the lowersurface of the heat sink flange and the terminal pads remain exposedfrom the encapsulant to form leadless terminations, e.g., interconnects.As used herein, the term ‘housing’ can refer to either a solidovermolded structure or an air housing or cavity without encapsulantmaterial.

Such a technique facilitates packaging flexibility and achievesimprovements in wire bond quality. Furthermore, flatness of the packagedsemiconductor device and co-planarity of the elements is maintained dueto the placement of the relatively thick heat sink flanges, or dieattached thereto, onto a thermal tape attached to a carrier substrate.Accordingly, a lower profile package with enhanced performance andimproved reliability can be achieved for high power radiofrequencyapplications.

Referring to FIG. 1, a packaged semiconductor device (SD) 21, such as aradio frequency (RF) device, comprises a major surface referred to as atermination surface, labeled TS, that comprises a plurality ofterminations 23 configured as leadless interconnects to be surface mountattached to a PCB. The PCB is not shown.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of package SD 21, which includes a firstflange 25 (or heat sink flange), a second flange 31, and a third flange32, each of which correspond to the termination surface TS of FIG. 1.The first flange 25 has a first surface 27 and a second surface 29. Thefirst surface 27 includes the larger of the terminations 23 illustratedat FIG. 1. The second surface 29 is opposite the surface 27 and can besubstantially parallel to the first surface 27. The second flange 31 hasa first surface 33 and a second surface 35. The first surface 33corresponds to a second one of the plurality of smaller terminations 23of FIG. 1. The second surface 35 is opposite the second surface 33 andcan be substantially parallel to the first surface 33. The third flange32 has a first surface 34 and a second surface 36. The first surface 34corresponds to a second one of the plurality of smaller terminations 23of FIG. 1. The second surface 36 is opposite the second surface 33 andcan be substantially parallel to the first surface 33. The flanges 25,31, 32 are electrically and thermally conductive, and each flange 25,31, 32 may have a thickness of about 30 mils to about 100 mils. In otherembodiments the thickness is about 40 mils to about 100 mils. In stillother embodiments, the thickness is about 40 mils to about 65 mils.

Embodiments of the heat sink flanges, e.g., flange 25, illustratedherein may be thermally and electrically conductive copper or a copperlaminate material. Individual heat sink flanges are shown for simplicityof illustration. In some embodiments, the heat sink flange may be asingle flange, or in an array of interconnected heat sink flanges (notshown), as known to those skilled in the art. The heat sink flange issized to accommodate one or more semiconductor dies in accordance withthe particular design of the semiconductor device. Locations of theflanges may be selectively plated to provide a portion of the surface ofthe heat sink flange suitable for a subsequent die attach operation.

One or more semiconductor dies may be coupled to the heat sink flange25. In an embodiment, the semiconductor dies may be high power, e.g.,greater than 30 watts. Radiofrequency semiconductor dies may be attachedto a surface of the heat sink flange using a high temperature bondingprocess, such as a gold-silicon eutectic bonding die attach process. Insuch an embodiment, the flange thickness of the heat sink flange may beof suitable thickness, for example, at least 30 mils, in order towithstand the high temperatures (e.g., greater than 400° C.) needed forgold-silicon eutectic bonding without damage.

Unfortunately, a high temperature bonding process may not be suitablefor some leadless surface mount packages because of multiple dies, themetallurgical nature of the die attach, and the thermal expansionmismatch between the semiconductor material and Cu can cause warping ofthe Cu and, thus, the terminations or otherwise damage the semiconductordevice.

One or more dies is mounted to the second surface 29 of the first flange25. The dies 41 may comprise active or passive components. For example,an active component can include such a semiconductor die that includestransistors, such as a die having microprocessor, a die having memory,and the like. An active component may be a high power (e.g., greaterthan 30 watts) radio frequency die. A passive component can include acapacitor, inductor, resistor, and the like. Die other than thoseillustrated can be mounted to other flanges.

A material, such as a Pb-free metallic system that forms a metallurgicaljoint, having a melting point in excess of 240° C. may be used for thispurpose. Other embodiments may have a melting point in excess of 260° C.For example, the following materials can be used to attach the one ormore dies 41 to the second surface: AuSi, AuSn, or Ag. The approximatemelting points of these materials are: AuSi, ˜360° C.; AuSn, ˜280° C.;and Ag, ˜800° C. The silver may comprise sintered silver. Each die 41may have the same or different thickness, which can be about 3 mils toabout 5 mils, or about 1 mil to about 10 mils in other embodiments. ForAuSi, the bond may be formed by Si in the die mixing with Au on the backof the die and Au on the flange. For AuSn, the bond may form from theplated AuSn on the back of the die or a combination of Au and Sn platedon the back of the die, or plated selectively on the flange below wherethe die goes. The Ag bond may be formed by nano-Ag or micro-Ag attachmaterial that is included in the interface. According to an embodiment,radiofrequency semiconductor dies may be attached to a surface of theheat sink flange using a high temperature bonding process, such as agold-silicon eutectic bonding die attach process. In such an embodiment,the flange thickness of the heat sink flange may be of suitablethickness, for example, at least 30 mils, in order to withstand the hightemperatures (e.g., greater than 400° C.) needed for gold-siliconeutectic bonding without damage. Thus, for high power applications, itis desirable to surface mount the one or more semiconductor dies of asemiconductor device using a robust, highly reliable die attach process,for example, a high temperature metallurgical bonding process such asgold-silicon bonding, gold-tin bonding, silver bonding, and so forth. Incontrast, lead-free metallurgical die attach materials provide package100 with a more environmentally-friendly characteristic and the use of adie attach comprising, for example, AuSi, AuSn, or Ag (with no epoxy).In addition, a Cu or other non-ceramic flange provides package 100 withits better thermal conductivity and lowered thermal resistivity, whichproduces improved reliability characteristics. This is in contrast totypical power packages that use relatively high resistivity die attachmaterials that have a high lead content, a large thickness, and a lowthermal conductivity of approximately 20 to 30 W/m-K. Each of thesecharacteristics contributes to heat transfer problems during deviceoperation.

FIGS. 3A through 3G illustrate a particular embodiment of forming the SD21. At FIG. 3A, a double-sided thermal tape 43 (FIG. 3A) may be affixedto a carrier substrate 45 (e.g., a glass substrate) that acts to holdvarious components during the packaging process that forms a pluralityof packaged devices at the same time. The flanges 25, 31, 32 may bepicked by automated packaging equipment and placed onto the tape 43(FIG. 3B). As shown in FIG. 3B, two packages are being contemporaneouslyformed, each package including a set of corresponding flanges 25, 31,32. The die 41 and first flange 25 of each package be can be formedhaving a combined thickness T that is substantially equal to thethickness T of the second flange 31, or different. Because of thermalconsiderations, die 41 may be attached to flange 25 prior to flange 25being placed on tape 43.

As shown in FIG. 3C, one or more electrical interconnects 51 may beformed between the dies 41 and the second surfaces 35, 36 (FIG. 2) ofthe second flanges 31, 32, respectively. The electrical interconnects 51may comprise bond wires or other types of interconnects, as will bediscussed in greater detail below. Bond wires and wire bonding processesare known by those skilled in the art. In an embodiment, 2 mil goldwires may be utilized, and in another embodiment, 10 mil aluminum wiresmay be used. However, various known wires of varying materials anddiameters may be utilized in accordance with particular designrequirements.

In FIG. 3D, a body 61 is formed using an encapsulating material that(when cured) forms a solid that substantially encapsulates the flanges25, 31, 32, dies 41 and electrical interconnects 51. The body 61 hasbeen formed to provide support thereto, such that the electricalinterconnects 51 and flanges 25, 31, 32 are substantially encapsulatede.g., housed, within body 61 to form a packaged device. In theseembodiments, the flanges 25, 31, 32 each have a surface that isco-planar to a surface of each other flange by virtue of being attachedto the carrier substrate by the thermal tape 43. These coplanar surfacesare not covered by the encapsulating material. After encapsulating, thecarrier substrate 45 and the thermal tape 43 are removed as indicated atFIG. 3E to expose the coplanar surfaces of the flanges 25, 31, 32.

At each of the flanges 25, 31, 32, respectively, a metallized surface 63can be formed, as indicated at FIG. 3F, overlying the exposed coplanarsurfaces of the flanges 25, 31, 32. For example, the metallized surfaces63 may comprise Sn or NiPdAu, which is typically deposited using aplating process. The metallized surfaces 63 form the outermostterminations 23 of the package device. The terminations 23 may beco-planar along the termination surface TS to less than about 0.001inches.

The packaged devices being contemporaneously formed are singulated toform individual packages, as indicated at FIG. 3G. Singulation can beperformed using mechanical sawing, laser ablation, and the like.

A metallic film 65 (FIG. 3E) may be encapsulated that resides betweenthe packaged SDs 21. The metallic film 65 may comprise Cu and may have athickness of about 5 mils. The metallic film may be located at thebottom of the flange (e.g., stuck to the adhesive), coplanar with thebottoms of the terminations. The metallic film 65 may be exposed on atleast one of the four sidewalls of each of the packaged SDs 21 when thepackaged SDs are singulated (compare FIGS. 3F and 3G). This process iswell suited for overmold or encapsulation bodies, rather than the aircavity bodies described below. Note that this feature is not a leadframethat provides an electrically and thermally conductive chassis or frame,and in other embodiments, need not be used.

In some embodiments, the packaged SD may have a power capacity or powerrating of about 30 W to about 400 W. In addition, the packaged SD may beconfigured to operate at radio frequencies of about 3 kHz to about 100GHz. Typical sizes of the flanges may comprise 200×200 mils, 400×400mils, 240×650 mils, 260×650 mils, 800×400 mils, or 1200×500 mils. Poweralso depends on die technology, voltage used, etc.

Another embodiment of forming SD 21 is depicted in FIGS. 4A through 4F.FIG. 4A is similar to FIG. 3A and therefore, the same reference numeralsare maintained to represent the carrier substrate 45 and thermal tape43. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the combined height of thedie 41 and flange 25 can be selected to have substantially the sameheight as flanges 31, 32 to facilitate a subsequent planarizationprocess, as described below. Flanges 31, 32 are attached to the thermaltape 43 as illustrated at FIG. 4B. In addition, the combinations offlange 25/die 41 are attached to the thermal tape 43 with the activeside of die 41 in contact with the thermal tape 43.

At FIG. 4C, encapsulating material 71, which can be the same or similartype encapsulating material as the encapsulating material 61 previouslydescribed, is deposited to form a package body that substantiallyencapsulates the components placed on the thermal tape. A portion of theencapsulating material 71 is removed using a planarization process toexpose the backsides of the flanges 25, 31, 32. The planarizationprocess can include a mechanical process, chemical process, the like,and combinations thereof. The exposed backsides of the flanges 25, 31,32 implement or facilitate formation of the termination surface TS (FIG.1), e.g., they can form surface mount contacts.

Subsequently, the backsides of the flanges 25, 31, 32 can be metallizedwith a material 73 (FIG. 4E) to form surface mount contacts at a finaltermination surface TS (FIG. 1) to be electrically connected to asubstrate, such as a PCB (not illustrated). The thermal tape 43 andcarrier 45 are removed, as illustrated at FIG. 4F, thus leaving aplurality of individual package workpieces, e.g., packages that have notbeen completed. The flanges 31, 32 of the plurality of completedworkpieces have not yet been electrically connected to the die 41.Various processing flows can be implemented subsequent to removal of thecarrier 45 and thermal tape 43 to complete processing of packageddevices SD 21.

As a further example, the carrier substrate 45 and thermal tape 4 areillustrated as being removed subsequent to formation of the backsidemetal at FIG. 4E. It will be appreciated however that the carriersubstrate 45 and thermal tape 43 could be removed subsequent to priorsteps. For example, the carrier substrate 45 and thermal tape 43 couldbe removed any time subsequent to formation of the body of the packageas illustrated at FIG. 4C. FIG. 5 illustrates a particular embodimentwhere encapsulation of each package workpiece of a panel occurs prior tosingulation of the individual package workpieces. For example, eachpackage workpiece of the panel has electrical interconnects formedbetween its die 41 and flanges 31, 32, as illustrated at FIG. 5A. Inparticular, electrical interconnects 51 have been formed between thepackage workpiece die 41 and the surfaces 35 of the flanges 31 oppositethe termination surface TS, and between die 41 and the surface 36 of theflanges 32. The electrical interconnects 51 may comprise a wire bond asillustrated at FIG. 5A, or other types of interconnects as described ingreater detail herein.

As illustrated at FIG. 5B, a housing is formed over each of theindividual package workpieces to encapsulate the flanges 25, 31, 32 andelectrical interconnect 51 of each package workpiece. The housing can beformed by depositing an encapsulation material, as previously described,or by providing an air housing, e.g. a cover which maintains an airspace, overlying the components of each package workpiece. According toa particular embodiment, the particular encapsulation is chosen tosupport a power capacity of about 30 W to about 400 W. Subsequent toencapsulating the individual package substrates, the panel can besingulated (FIG. 5C) to form individual package devices.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment, from that of FIG. 5, forimplementing package devices. In particular, as illustrated at FIG. 6A,the panel is singulated prior to encapsulation to form individualpackage workpieces, one of which is illustrated in FIGS. 6B and 6C. Foreach singulated package workpiece, as illustrated at FIG. 6B, electricalinterconnects 51 are formed between its die 41 and its flange surfaces35 and 36, which are opposite the termination surface TS. As illustratedat FIG. 6C, the housing is formed over the singulated package workpieceto encapsulate its components. The housing can be formed by depositingencapsulation material, as previously described, or provided by an airhousing. The air housing may comprise mounting a lid to the assembly tohouse the electrical interconnect in an air cavity, such that theelectrical interconnect is free of encapsulation material. As discussedpreviously, the housing is chosen to support power dissipation capacityof between about 30 Watts to about 400 W, and to support high frequencyRF applications.

It will be appreciated, that many alternate embodiments of the describedpackaging process exist. For example, instead of a composite structurethat includes die 41 attached to a conductive flange 25, other compoundstructures may be formed. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a compoundstructure that is formed prior to being attached to the thermal tapethat includes die 41 attached to a printed circuit board 125 (PCB 125).The PCB 125 is illustrated to include conductive studs 195 (heat sinks),and interconnects including inter-level interconnects 191-193 andthrough vias 196. The conductive studs 195 can be formed from a materialthat provides greater thermal conductivity than the substrate of the PCB125. For example, the conductive studs 195 can include copper, aluminum,other metals, the like, and combinations thereof.

A particular embodiment of the compound structure that includes the die41 and the PCB 125 is illustrated in greater detail at FIG. 8, whichillustrates the die 41 mounted with its active surface 210 mountedfacedown such that die bond pads 221 and 222 have been surface mountattached to the PCB 125. Interlevel routing 192 and 193 is illustratedas being in electrical contact with the die bond pads 221, 222,respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 8, interlevel routing 192electrically connects the die bond pad 221 to a die bond pad of theadjacent die 41 that is attached to the same PCB board 125. Interlevelinterconnect 193 connects the die bond pad 222 to a PCB bond pad 199 ofthe printed circuit board 125 as also illustrated at FIG. 7. Theconductive stud 195, which in effect is a sufficiently large heat sinkto dissipate heat from die 41, is in contact with a heat conductiveinterface 212 (FIG. 8), such as a metallic pad, and extends through thePCB board 125 to an opposing surface that is opposite the surface wherethe die 41 is mounted. The large heat conductive interface 212 overliesa dielectric region 211 that electrically isolates the heat conductiveinterface 212 from any underlying conductive features at the activeregion 210 of the die 41.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a compound structure thatincludes the dies 41 and a PCB 225. In particular, the dies 41 aremounted on conductive studs 295, 296, respectively, which themselves areformed through the PCB 225 to provide heat sink functionality. Theresulting composite structure can be picked and placed with the die 41facedown against the thermal tape, or with the die 41 mounted face-up,wherein the conductive studs 195 are in contact with the thermal tape.Though not specifically illustrated, it will be appreciated thatadditional conductive routing can be implemented using interlevelinterconnects formed within the PCB 225. In particular, bond pads can beformed near the periphery of PCB 225 that can be wire bonded directly tobond pads of die 41 using conventional wire bonding, while other bondpads can be formed near the periphery of PCB 225 that can be wire bondeddirectly to flanges, similar to flanges 31, 32 previously described.

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate embodiment of providing conductiveinterconnects between the die 41 and flanges 31, 32. In particular,instead of forming conventional wire bonds, additional layers are formedoverlying the top side of the package device, e.g., the side oppositethe thermal tape, after formation of the body portion 81. For example,the body portion 81 comprises a dielectric material that is planarizedto expose the top surfaces of the die 41 and flanges 31, 32.Subsequently, additional conductive and dielectric layers are formed toimplement conductive interconnects 91, 92, 93 between terminals, e.g.,bond pads, of die 41 and flanges 31, 32. Formation of inter-levelinterconnects eliminates the need for conventional wire bondingtechniques. The housing 82 can be formed by depositing an encapsulationmaterial, as previously described, or by providing an air housing, e.g.,a cover which maintains an air space, overlying the components of eachpackage workpiece.

In some embodiments, a packaged semiconductor device (SD) comprises atermination surface comprising a plurality of terminations configured asleadless interconnects to be surface mounted to a circuit board. A firstflange may have a first surface and a second surface, the first surfaceproviding a first one of the plurality of terminations, and the secondsurface is opposite to the first surface. A second flange may have afirst surface and a second surface, the first surface providing a secondone of the plurality of terminations, and the second surface is oppositeto the first surface. A die may be mounted to the second surface of thefirst flange with a Pb-free, die attach material having a melting pointin excess of 240° C. In addition, an electrical interconnect may extendbetween the die and the second surface of the second flange opposite thetermination surface, such that the electrical interconnect, first flangeand second flange are substantially housed within a body.

The packaged SD may be configured to operate at radio frequencies ofgreater than about 3 kHz to about 100 GHz (e.g., 80 GHz). In otherembodiments, it operates at about 3 kHz to about 10 GHz. The electricalinterconnect may comprise a wire bond, and the die may have a thicknessof about 3 mils to about 5 mils. The electrical interconnect also maycomprise at least one interconnect level comprising a conductive layerand a dielectric layer (e.g., a printed circuit board or PCB). The bodymay comprise a solid body that substantially encapsulates the flanges,die and electrical interconnect to provide support thereto. The die andsecond flange may have surfaces farthest from the termination surfacethat are co-planar. The body also may comprise a lid mounted to thepackaged SD to house the electrical interconnect in an air cavity, suchthat the electrical interconnect is free of encapsulation material.

The flanges may be electrically and thermally conductive and each flangemay have a thickness of about 30 mils to about 100 mils. A surface ofeach of the flanges may further comprise an additional conductive layerof material opposite the die at the termination surface, the additionalconductive layers form the terminations, and the terminations areco-planar along the termination surface to less than about 0.001 inches.A panel may comprise a plurality of packaged SDs, including the packagedSD described. The panel may further comprise a metallic filmencapsulated between the packaged SDs, such that a metallic portion isexposed on at least one sidewall of each of the packaged SDs when thepackaged SDs are singulated. The metallic film may comprise Cu and havea thickness of about 5 mils.

All of the terminations of the packaged SD may be on the terminationsurface, and the packaged SD may have no side wall terminations. Thetermination surface may comprise a first surface area, and theterminations comprise a second surface area that is in a range of about0.2% to about 20% of the first surface area. The die may comprise afirst die of an active component or a passive component, and may furthercomprise a second die mounted to the second surface of the secondflange. The die and first flange may comprise a combined thickness thatis substantially equal to a thickness of the second flange. The packagedSD may have a power capacity of greater than about 30 W to about 400 W.Alternatively, at least one of the first and second flanges may beembedded in a circuit board.

Some embodiments of a method of packaging a semiconductor device (SD)may comprise (a) placing a first component comprising a die mounted to afirst flange on an adhesive substrate; (b) placing a second flange onthe adhesive substrate adjacent to but spaced apart from the firstcomponent; (c) electrically interconnecting the die and the secondflange; (d) housing at least portions of the flanges by encapsulation toform an assembly surrounding the flanges; and (e) housing the flangesand electrical interconnect such that the packaged SD has a powercapacity of greater than about 30 W.

The die may be mounted to the first flange with a material having amelting point in excess of 260° C. In some embodiments, (a) comprisesplacing the first component with the die in contact with the adhesivesubstrate, such that a surface of the die that is farthest from theadhesive substrate and a surface of a second flange are co-planar. Inother embodiments, after (d), the method may further comprise thinningthe encapsulant to expose backsides of the flanges adjacent atermination surface. Step (c) may comprise forming a wire bond. Steps(d) and (e) may comprise substantially encapsulating the flanges, dieand electrical interconnect in a solid material but not one surface ofthe flanges. Step (e) may comprise mounting a lid to the assembly tohouse the electrical interconnect in an air cavity, such that theelectrical interconnect is free of encapsulation material.

In other embodiments, the die has a thickness of about 3 mils to about 5mils; the flanges are electrically and thermally conductive and eachflange has a thickness of about 30 mils to about 100 mils; and thepackaged SD is configured to operate at radio frequencies of about 3 kHzto about 100 GHz.

A surface of each of the flanges may further comprise an additionalconductive layer of material opposite the die at a termination surface,and the additional conductive layers of material comprise Sn or NiPdAuand form terminations that are co-planar along the termination surfaceto less than about 0.001 inches.

A method of forming a panel may comprise a plurality of packagedsemiconductor devices, including the packaged semiconductor device, and(e) occurs before the packaged semiconductor device is singulated fromthe panel. The method may further comprise placing a metallic filmbetween the packaged SDs before (d), encapsulating the metallic film in(e), and then cutting the panel at the metallic film such that ametallic portion is formed on side walls of each of the packaged SDswhen the panel is cut, and the metallic film comprises Cu and has athickness of about 5 mils. In addition, the terminations of the packagedSD may be at a termination surface, and the packaged SD may have no sidewall terminations. The termination surface may comprise a first surfacearea, and the terminations comprise a second surface area that is in arange of about 0.2% to about 20% of the first surface area. The methodmay further comprise embedding at least one of the first and secondflanges in a printed circuit board.

In still other embodiments, a method of packaging a semiconductor device(SD) may comprise (a) mounting a die to a first flange to form a firstcomponent; (b) placing the die on the adhesive substrate with the firstflange extending therefrom; (c) placing a second flange on the adhesivesubstrate adjacent to but spaced apart from the first component, suchthat the die and second flange have surfaces that are co-planar; (d)housing at least portions of the die and flanges by encapsulation toform an assembly; (e) electrically interconnecting the die and thesecond flange; (f) adding an additional conductive layer of material tosurfaces of the flanges opposite the die to form a termination surfacewith terminations configured to be surface mounted to a circuit boardwithout leads external to the assembly; and (g) housing the flanges andelectrical interconnect such that the packaged SD has a power capacityof greater than about 30 W.

Step (a) may comprise mounting the die to the first flange with amaterial having a melting point in excess of 240° C. After (d), themethod may further comprise thinning the encapsulant to expose backsidesof the flanges adjacent the termination surface. Step (d) may occurbefore (e), and (d) may comprise forming one of a wire bond, and atleast one conductive layer and at least one dielectric layer.

Step (g) may comprise mounting a lid to the assembly to house theelectrical interconnect in an air cavity, such that the electricalinterconnect is free of encapsulation material, and the die has athickness of about 3 mils to about 5 mils. The flanges may beelectrically and thermally conductive and have a thickness of 30 mils to100 mils, and the packaged SD may be configured to operate at radiofrequencies of greater than about 3 kHz.

Embodiments of a method of forming a panel may comprise a plurality ofpackaged semiconductor devices, including the packaged semiconductordevice, and may further comprise cutting the panel to form the pluralityof packaged semiconductor devices. Step (g) may occur before or afterthe panel is cut, and may further comprise placing a metallic filmbetween the packaged semiconductor devices before (d), encapsulating themetallic film in (d), and then cutting the panel at the metallic filmsuch that a metallic portion is formed on side walls of each of thepackaged SDs when the panel is cut.

For clarity of illustration, different shading and/or hatching isutilized in the illustrations to distinguish the different elements ofthe semiconductor device. In addition, a term “horizontal” may be usedherein to define a plane parallel to the plane or surface of thesemiconductor device, regardless of its orientation. Thus, a term“vertical” refers to a direction perpendicular to the horizontal asdefined. Terms, such as “above,” “below,” “top,” “bottom,” “side” (as in“sidewall”), “upper,” “lower,” and so forth are defined with respect tothe horizontal plane.

This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments,including the best mode, and also to enable those of ordinary skill inthe art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope is definedby the claims, and may include other examples that occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within thescope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differfrom the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalentstructural elements with insubstantial differences from the literallanguages of the claims.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the generaldescription or the examples are required, that a portion of a specificactivity may not be required, and that one or more further activitiesmay be performed in addition to those described. Still further, theorder in which activities are listed are not necessarily the order inwhich they are performed.

In the foregoing specification, the concepts have been described withreference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in theart appreciates that various modifications and changes can be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in theclaims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and allsuch modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofinvention.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is notnecessarily limited only to those features but may include otherfeatures not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

Also, the use of “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements andcomponents described herein. This is done merely for convenience and togive a general sense of the scope of the invention. This descriptionshould be read to include one or at least one and the singular alsoincludes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed above with regard to specific embodiments. However, thebenefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that maycause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeature of any or all the claims.

After reading the specification, skilled artisans will appreciate thatcertain features are, for clarity, described herein in the context ofseparate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a singleembodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity,described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be providedseparately or in any subcombination. Further, references to valuesstated in ranges include each and every value within that range.

1. A method of packaging a semiconductor die (SD), comprising: (a)placing a first component on an adhesive substrate, the first componentcomprising the SD mounted to a first element that is selected from agroup consisting of a first flange and a printed circuit board (PCB);(b) placing a second flange on the adhesive substrate adjacent to butspaced apart from the first component; (c) electrically interconnectingthe SD and the second flange with an electrical interconnect; (d)housing at least portions of the first component and the second flangeby encapsulation with an encapsulation material to form an assemblysurrounding the first component and the second flange; and (e) housingthe first component and the second flange and the electricalinterconnect such that the SD has a power capacity of greater than about30 W.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the SD is attached tothe first flange with a die attach material having a melting point inexcess of 240° C.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein (a)comprises placing the first component with the first element in contactwith the adhesive substrate.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereina die surface of the SD that is farthest from the adhesive substrate anda flange surface of the second flange are co-planar.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein (c) comprises forming a wire bond.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein (d) and (e) comprise substantiallyencapsulating the flanges, SD, and electrical interconnect in a solidmaterial but not encapsulating one unencapsulated surface of theflanges.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein (e) comprisesmounting a lid to the assembly to house the electrical interconnect inan air cavity such that the electrical interconnect is free of theencapsulation material.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein theSD has a thickness of about 3 mils to about 5 mils, wherein the flangesare electrically and thermally conductive and each flange has athickness of about 30 mils to about 100 mils, and wherein the packagedSD is configured to operate at radio frequencies of about 3 kHz to about100 GHz.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a flange surface ofeach of the flanges further comprises an additional conductive layer ofmaterial at a termination surface, wherein the flange surface is at anopposite end of the first flange from a die attachment surface of thefirst flange upon which the first flange is attached to the SD, andwherein the additional conductive layer of the material comprises Sn orNiPdAu and forms terminations that are co-planar along the terminationsurface to less than about 0.001 inches.
 10. The method of providing apanel comprising a plurality of packaged semiconductor dies, includingthe semiconductor die of claim 1, wherein (e) of claim 1 occurs beforethe semiconductor die is singulated from the panel.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 10, further comprising placing a metallic filmbetween the SDs before (d), encapsulating the metallic film in (e), andthen cutting the panel at the metallic film wherein a metallic portionis exposed on side walls of each of packaged SDs when the panel is cut,and the metallic film comprises Cu and has a thickness of about 5 mils.12. The method according to claim 1, wherein terminations of the SDconfigured as electrical interconnects are at a termination surface,wherein the SD has no side wall terminations, wherein the terminationsurface has a first surface area, and wherein the terminations have asecond surface area that is in a range of about 0.2% to about 20% of thefirst surface area.
 13. A method of packaging a semiconductor device(SD), comprising: (a) mounting the SD to a first element selected from agroup consisting of a first flange and a circuit board to form a firstcomponent; (b) placing the first element on an adhesive substrate withthe first element extending therefrom; (c) placing a second flange onthe adhesive substrate adjacent to but spaced apart from the firstcomponent; (d) housing at least portions of the SD, the first element,and the second flange by encapsulation with an encapsulation material toform an assembly; (e) electrically interconnecting the SD and the secondflange with an electrical interconnect; (f) adding an additionalconductive layer of a material to flange surfaces of the second flangeand the first element to form a termination surface with terminationsconfigured as electrical interconnects to be surface mounted to a secondcircuit board without leads external to the assembly, wherein the flangesurface of the first element is at an opposite end of the first elementfrom a die attachment surface of the first element upon which the firstelement is attached to the SD; and (g) housing the first element, thesecond flange, and the electrical interconnect such that the SD has apower capacity of greater than about 30 W.
 14. The method according toclaim 13, wherein (a) comprises attaching the SD to the first flangewith a die attach material having a melting point in excess of 240° C.15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the SD has a die surfaceand the second flange has a second flange surface, wherein the diesurface and the second flange surface are co-planar.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 13, wherein (d) occurs before (e), and (e) comprisesforming an element selected from a group consisting of a wire bond andboth of at least one conductive layer and at least one dielectric layer.17. The method according to claim 13, wherein (g) comprises mounting alid to the assembly to house the electrical interconnect in an aircavity such that the electrical interconnect is free of theencapsulation material, and the SD has a thickness of about 3 mils toabout 5 mils.
 18. (canceled)
 19. (canceled)
 20. A packaged semiconductordie (SD), comprising: a termination surface comprising a plurality ofterminations configured as leadless interconnects to be surface mountedto a circuit board; a first flange having a first surface of the firstflange and a second surface of the first flange, the first surface ofthe first flange providing a first one of the plurality of terminations,wherein the second surface of the first flange is opposite to the firstsurface of the first flange; a second flange having a first surface ofthe second flange and a second surface of the second flange, the firstsurface of the second flange providing a second one of the plurality ofterminations, wherein the second surface of the second flange isopposite to the first surface of the second flange; a diemetallurgically attached to the second surface of the first flange witha Pb-free, die attach material having a melting point in excess of 240°C.; and an electrical interconnect between the die and the secondsurface of the second flange opposite the termination surface, whereinthe electrical interconnect, the first flange and the second flange aresubstantially housed within a body.
 21. The packaged SD according toclaim 20, wherein the body is selected from a group consisting of asolid body that substantially encapsulates the flanges, the die, and theelectrical interconnect to provide support thereto and a lid mounted tothe packaged SD to house the electrical interconnect in an air cavitywith the electrical interconnect being free of encapsulation material.22. The packaged SD according to claim 20, wherein all of theterminations of the packaged SD are on the termination surface, and thepackaged SD has a power capacity of greater than about 30 W.